Improved marine-camel



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL WOOLSTON, OF VINCENTOWN, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVED MARINEoAMEI..

Speci'cation forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,527, dated May 12, 1863.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL W OOLSTON, of Vincentown, in the county of Burlington and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Marine-Gamels and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The chief object of my invention is to construct a marinecamel of great power. The camels heretofore invented, though they may work very well in rivers, or where the water is not very deep, cannot carry large ships over shoals.

My invention consists of a very elevated chamber or chambers, rising above the main deck, in combination with other chambers, or a chamber below the main deck, and also in an arrangement of valves for .lling the water chamber or chambers from the bottom, and a series of elevated pumps.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is abirds-eye view of my marine-cam el, the deck plank being removed in order to show thev construction of the keel. Fig. 2 is a lateral elevation of the same.

My improved marine camel is constructed with a very elevated central chamber, A, rising far above the main deck B of the camel and extending to the bottom of the camel, forming a deep central well for holding the fuel, the propelling' machinery, and the pumps. The great elevation of this central chamber gives the camel a tremendous power and renders the hull capable of being` sunk to a sufficient depth to reach under a heavy vessel. Upon each side of the central chamber is a side chamber, C, below the main deck B. These chambers are both completely closed above by the decks B. They are provided with pumps D, extending to the top ofthe centralcharnber, A, and also with valves E at the bottom ofthe chambers. At the bottom of the camel is a series of long cross-timbers, F, planked on the under side, thus forming a tlat bottom to the camel. These timbers extend laterally beyond the keel-chambers, thus affording arms or platforms for receiving vessels. I prefer to construct a complete platform, as shown in the drawings.

The operation of my camel is as follows:

The valves E being opened, the side chambers till with water to the necessary height for sinking the camel sufficiently to bring it under the vessel to be buoyed. Then the camel is brought into position under the vessel or vessels and properly secured in place. If a single vessel is to be buoyed, the water is pumped from the chamber C, next the vessel, but it' two vessels are to be buoyed, the water is pumped from both chambers U in order to balance and to increase the force of the camel. Thus either one or two vessels may be buoyed at a time. When the camel is to be released Y from the vessel or vessels, it is necessary again to open valve C, in order to sink the camel sufficiently. I make the chamber C, as well as the central chamber, A, of great capacity, so as to give adequate power to the camel. The shape of the chambers may be varied, as well as their number. The we1l,for instance, may be wider at bottom than at deck, or at the upper part of the central chamber, or additional side chambers may be placed on the main decks B, in order to give the camel more stability in a rough sea. It will be advantageous to have tubes passing from one side chamber to the other, in order to let the water flow from side to side. These tubes should be provided with stop-cocks, to be opened and 

